The Chronicler
by Nomia
Summary: Matthew was just a little brown mouse who loved books and learning. However, Fate chose the college professor, aided by some new friends, to be something else: the revealer of an ancient prophecy set down seasons ago that concerns this modern day setting.
1. A Riddle Worth Puzzling Over

Matt impatiently drummed his fingers on the fake marble countertop as he waited for the director of SIS to meet with him…after nearly a third of a season of urgent telephone calls, e-mails, and letters. Creature service had certainly dropped. He wouldn't have been surprise if some creature was being maimed just outside their door.

He sighed and ran his paws through his head fur, an axious habit of his. The rapid clicking of computer keys coming from the receptionist at the receiving desk lulled for a moment as she glared at the light brown mouse in front of her, pink lips pursed. Matthew tried to look sheepish, but the fact that, once again, Intelligence was not taking him seriously left him little more than peeved.

He sighed in combined frustration and releif as he saw a tall, sandy coloured hare walking slowly towards him. Matthew strode forward with his hand extended and greeted him: "Mr. Scarlett."

The hare wriggled his nose at Matthew and said jovially, "Ahh, Mr. Woods. Yes, I've heard a great deal about you…come, come, to my office."

Matt gratfully scooted past the irritated squirrle receptionist, avoiding her gaze, and into an elevator just past her desk. She took one last opportunity to glare at him before the hare pressed a button and the stainless steel doors slid together silently.

"Sooo, Mr. Woods," John Scarlett sighed, leaning his elbows back on the smooth handrail and releiving some of his conciderable weight from his footpaws. "I've heard quite a bit about you. You were the one who tipped us off on that bally old hedgehog, Campbell, weren't you?"

Matthew scowled and muttered, "Yes, and you were the one who said…oh, what was it? Ah yes: 'M'lad, I've known that Cam-whosits for many seasons now and I'd trust him with me bally life, doncha know.' Unless I'm mistaken…?"

Mr. Scarlett's whiskers twitched uncomfortably. "Er, no no, that's about right…" The doors slid open with a soft _ping!_ and led into the spacious and immaculate office. The hare hurried over to his desk and lowered himself into the tall-backed chair with another sigh. "I do apologize for that. But, all has ended well, wot? Now…what service can I be of you today?"

Matthew counted to ten in six different languages before he sat in the chair offered to him in front of the elderly hare's desk, willing himself to remain calm at the insolent naivity. He composed himself and said, "There is reason to believe Redwall Abbey is in danger."

Mr. Scarlett blinked several times, thought better of letting out an unbeleiving chuckle, and said as he reached for the telephone on his desk, "Really, now? Well, I suppose I should send y' over to MI, they'd –"

Matthew stood abruptly and slammed the receiver back into place, startling the Director. The mouse gritted his teeth angrily and said firmly, "They can't do anything. It's you who needs to take a course of action in this."

Scarlett's wiskers twitched again, a characteristic of his Matt was already beging to loath. "I say! Bad form, wot? Now, it's not my area of knowin', and there's not a bally thing I c'n do for ya." When Matthew's pentirating stare continued to bear down upon him, Scarlett rose and said, "Er, I'll ship y' off to MI and let them know yer on yer way, then…"

Matthew heard the ping behind him as the elevator opened again. Disgusted and defeated, Matthew whirled around and stomped into the elevator. It closed by itself and began it's journey down. Matthew glared at the glowing green numbers as they decreased at a rapid pace, practically snarling by the time it settled on 8. The doors opened to reveil a small, chaotic room sectioned off into many smaller cubicals. Several creatures milling about stopped to stare at him as he walked into the room, but upon seeing it was nobeast of importance, they went about with their busy hustling.

Another elevator squeezed in right next to the obviously private one for the Director opened and a flustered, caramel brown mouse rushed out, her arms loaded with file folders and loose papers. "Excuse me," Matt said loud enough for her to hear and tapping her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned around, several of her papers floating to the ground. She groaned and tried to bend down to pick them up, but Matt beat her too it, feeling very remorsful for startling her so.

He stood and handed them back to her with an apology. She blew a strand of her headfur that had come loose from its elegent bun from her bespectacled eyes and said, "That's alright. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Er, yes," Matt said, snapping himself out of the trace her curious blue eyes had put him in. "Mr. Scarlett sent me down here…"

"Oh, yes," she said, beginning to walk away. "You're Matthew Woods. Follow me." Matt hurried after her, dodging in between several frazzled looking squirrles as they ran to a window, holding a flapping woodpidgion with its tail caught in several dozen paperclips between them. Matt didn't question the other curious activities going on.

The mousemaid led him to the back of the noisy room and to a door conjoining with an office. Matt couldn't see anything through the frosted glass window that bore the purpose of the room.

_Charles Baker  
__Head of Mossflower Inteligence_

A piece of paper was taped beneath this that said, 'Don't like it? Stick it up your nose.' The mouse seemed to find this amusing, but she rolled her pretty eyes heaven wards as she smiled. She knocked with her footpaw twice before pushing the door open with her hip.

"I've got your report, Charlie," she said, walking in and dropping a particularly thick folder on the already cramped desk that was littered with other papers, pictures, coffee cups, and several thick books. "Not that you'll be able to find it in a week…" Matt looked about the tiny office and had to agree. Filing cabinets lined the side walls, many of their drawers open and spilling forth their innards. Bulging bookselves stood on either side of the door filled with more volumns, pictures, and small modlels of various buildings and landscapes. Charlie looked up from the computer screen he had been aptly staring at and smiled up at the lovely mousemaid.

"Thanks, Luc," he said in an American accent, grinning cheekily up at her, a mischevious glint in his eye. "Aren't you looking as fabulous as ever today!"

"Indeed," Lucy said, unfazed. She picked her way back through the several boxes and empty soda containers on the floor and past a hesitant Matt just beyond the open door, no longer able to keep her smile hidden. She motioned with her head for Matt to enter. Matt watched her walk away, shaking her head and muttering to herself, before he did so.

Charlie had resumed his doings on the computer in front of him and was whistling tunlessley as he pecked out something on the keyboard. He glanced up when Matt stubbed his footpaw against a very full and solid box, but did a retake when Matt had regained his balance and stood up fully, his whistling dying away. The dark, chesnut-brown mouse's lips were still pursed as he looked Matt up and down with scrutiny.

"What can I do for ya?" he finally asked with a cheerful smile, leaning back in his reclining chair and clasping his paws across his ample waist. Matt took another carful step towards the desk, lifting up his paw quickly when something squeaked loudly beneath it. "_There_ it is!" Charlie exclaimed, standing and leaning over his desk with much difficulty to look at the stuffed frog Matt had squashed. Charlie picked it up and plopped it onto the top of his computer screen.

Matt opened his mouth once more to respond. "I'm Matthew Woods. Mr. Scarlett –"

"Are you really?" Charlie inturupted suddenly, his eyes alight with wonder. Matt nodded, somewhat confused but none the less even more irritated than when he had first arrived. He tried to continue.

"Mr. Scarlett –"

"- didn't want the hassle of dealin' with whatever important thing you had to say, so he sent you to me." Charlie grimaced. Matt nodded again and couldn't restrain himself from spitting out distastfully, "You know, it was the greatest disservice to this country when they put that asinine twat as head of this operation!"

Charlie nodded as Matt collapsed onto the box he had unintentionally kicked. "You lost me on the 'asinine' part, but I'm sure I agree with you whole heartedly. I'm Charlie Baker, if you couldn't read the door."

Matt stood and took the offered paw and shook it warmly, immeadiatly liking the strange mouse. "Matt Woods," he said. "Professor –"

"- of Historical Research at Oxford University of 4 seasons, DPhil of Philosophy, MSt of Theology, MPhil in Economic and Social Histories, and Mlitt in Modern History. Quite an interesting résumé." Matt was rather surprised. He was about to ask how he knew this all when Charlie answered the unasked question: "I was just trying to contact you, in fact. Saved me a good bit of time…" He turned his computer screen to reveal a half-finished e-mail to Matt himself.

Matt sat on the box again with a sigh. "So you already know, then?"

Charlie grimly took his seat. "I scraped up the gist of it from what Scarlett told me. It's not much to go on though." He leanded forward in his seat, looking at Matt with earnesty. "I need you to tell me everything."

* * *

Two and half hours, 14 cups of coffee, and two more visits from Lucy later, Matt and Charlie sat with Charlie's desk cleared away, its contents strewn about the floor replaced with an immense map of the entire island that hosted Redwall Abbey.

"I must say: I've never seen your desk this clean, Charlie," Lucy jabbed at him as she places another group of file in one of the overly stuffed cabinets. "I had no idea it was made out of wood…!"

"Har har," Charlie grunted as sarcastically as Lucy. "Leave us hard-working beasts to ourselves, why doncha…"

"'Hardley working' is more like it," she said as she left the office, smiling at the satisfaction of having the last word. Charlie growled good naturedly.

"Completely insufferable, I tell you," he said, walking to the door and sticking his head out, blowing a raspberry at a creature around the corner. He retracted himself a moment too late as they stuffed frog Lucy had swiped from the cabinet came hurtling at him and connected squarley with his nose.

"Come on, mate," Matt groaned, easing himself into the chair that had so kindly been brought in for him by the 'insufferable' Lucy. He opened yet another book and began pouring over it as fruitlessly as he had the dozens others.

"I'm telling you," Charlie said as he reseated himself and opened a bottle of fizzing soda and took a greatful swig. "I've read these books so many times, I can't even count. There's no mention of this stinkin' prophecy anywhere else!"

Matt sighed and rested his elbows on the table, running both paws through his headfur an making it stand on end. He had long ago discarded his jacket and was sitting with his shirt sleeves rolled up and tie loosened around his neck, chin in paw and eyes burning from having gone over every book in Charlie's bursting office. It was, as he said, completely unsuccessful.

Charlie stood and began pacing back and forth behind his desk, Converse sneakers padding almost silently on the thick carpet. "Read it out-loud to me again," he said, taking another gulp of his drink before replacing its cap and chucking it on the floor. He rolled up the sleeves of his own white button-up shirt and opened the wide window to let in a non-existant breeze. Matt sighed but pulled the copy of the peom towards him.

It had been, infact, but a mere accident he had found the thing at all. He had been in Manchester visiting his sister, Mary, 9 seasons his junior, and her newly weded husband. He had not seen Mary for nearly 4 and a half seasons, the last time being his celebratory party when he had been accepted as a professor. However, their short visits were marred by the business of her scedual and that of her husband's. Matt had been instantly attracted to the spacious library, of course, and spent a majority of his free time there. It was by chance they were holding an annual booksale during his stay and he happened upon a very old, dusty volumn that had seen better seasons. Always in the want for knowledge, Matt had bougt the book without even a glance at its title; if nothing else, it was an interesting looking find and would fit in nicely with his already supple collection.

Upon opening it, he discovered it was a very old school book. But not just any old school book; it had been the writing tablet and history book of, identified through the chicken scratch inside the front cover, the little Dibbun Gonflet of Redwall. Needless to say, Matt nearly fainted with excitement. A very document of Redwall Abbey, and in the time of Martin the Warrior himself! 12 years of majoring in history classes with a yearning for more information about this legend Abbey, and he was holding a veritable artifact from the very place itself. Mary, who had always supported and enjoyed Matt and his studies, might have shared his excitement more had he not burst into her shop and practically flattened one of her most important coustomers.

Upon closer inspection of the book, Matt and Mary discovered several of the pages had been lumped together. Holding it up to a light, they discoved it was actually two pages with a piece of folded parchment placed between them. With the utmost carfulness, Marry followed Matt's instructions as she assisted him in releasing the two pages from the bond they held. They then removed the folded parchment from the deathly clasp of Gonflet's tablet and unfolded it as carfully as they could.

This piece of parchment had been the said prophecy. Matt immeadiatly set to work to solving the riddle it posessed. Though most of it was still in question, it reveiled the danger the Abbey was in. Matt cut his intended lenthy trip short by several days and returned home, frantically trying to contact SIS. They had finally responded to him pleas and agreed to meet with him only just yesterday. And so, Matt found himself in socked footpaws pulled up, Indian style, on a hot and irritable chair reciting the peom to his newly-found co-worker, most of it from memory having gone over it so many times before. Perhaps now he would finally be able to solve it…

_Gone I soon will be,  
__But my presence shall linger here.  
__I pray you protect this precious Abbey  
__Without common fear,_

_For trouble will meet you  
__With every passing season.  
__Many lives that have come will go  
__By the evil hands of treason._

_Although your fate is destinded,  
__I beseach you, my good creatures:  
__Fight all apposing foes  
__With forgotten gifts and features._

_In many seasons to come  
__Past times when empires fall  
__A force will march thine way  
__And seek to destroy all._

_Know you the time when this shall come;  
__Note it by the seasons  
__And look to the day when vermin dwell  
__In distraught harmony for Cold reasons._

_In the time when creatures fly  
__And live in a world of motion  
__A time where everybeast will scorn  
__Our reasons and our notions._

_But at this time of great rebirth  
__Our fate will crash upon us all  
__And those who scorn will soon be  
__The saviors of Redwall._

_I call forth the Learned Ones  
__Great cheiftens and my precursors  
__To save our Abbey from the fall  
__The Dark One seeks to give us._

_My sweet flower I call forth  
__To bring order over all;  
__Your match I call to aid the jaunt  
__Lest mine enemy come to call._

_A friend to all, yet once a foe  
__I call forth to assist the travles  
__Trust in each other and you will see  
__Your purpose as it unravels._

_Last, I seek the help of The One  
__Of learned stature so bold  
__To weild my sword and fight for all  
__That live the lives of old._

_This message knows the way to go  
__And I send it on its way  
__To hands which will save my Abbey  
__And bring justice upon The Day._

_Hurry, my dear friends  
__To the land that hosts Redwall  
__The Dark One will not wait  
__For my Warrior to come to call._

Charlie continued pacing as he said to Matt, "Get something to write with." Matt, dispirited and exhasted, had not the strength to protest, so he pulled a pad of paper toards him and opened a pen, still leaning heavily upon one paw. Charlie waited until Matt was ready before continuing.

"All right…what do we know?" Matt sat up, his back cracking in several places. He winced and looked down at the poem, extracting what he knew.

"We know it was ment to be found in this time," he said. "See, look here –", he circled the first two sentences of the second to last stanza, "- and see..the fifth and sixth bits describe our time. See how he capitalized 'cold'?"

Charlie nodded in understanding. "Cold War. Most vermin are from the USSR and areas in relation to them. Laws demand they be treated as equals, but no creature I've met has taken that as a serious thing, save Lucy."

Matt nodded, but 'twas more to himself. "I just don't understand the next bit at all," he said frustratedly. "It says 'Those who scorn will soon be the saviors of Redwall.' It's just not possible!"

"Well," Charlie interjected, looking over Matt's shoulder as he underlined the sentence and put a dark question mark next to it. "It depends. Reservation Protection laws state any creature can walk on reservation land if laws are not violated or, in this case, cause any disruptance whatsoever. Since the Abbey dwellers and those other looney tribes living about the island have refused any and all enforcment, just about anybeast could go there. We've just been lucky few have wanted to.

"And it's not like we could just go in there and tell them 'We're here to protect you, ignor us and go about your business.' Firearms of our technology are strictly prohibited, not to mention the fiasco last time that happened." Matt nodded. Though he had not been there, he had heard all about the small regiment Sir Christopher Curwen had sent to their land as a "friendly checking up". He had frightened the poor creatures into such hysterics they had banned all enforcement from the government from their reservation, leading to the very problem that was imposing upon the two drawn-out mice.

"That's just what we get for going on a whim…" Matt said with a sigh and burying his face in his arms. Charlie nodded.

"Exactly!" he cried, pounding the desk with a fist and causing Matt to jump. "That's why we've got to prove our case strongly!"

"Hmmm…you know, I've been wondering how in the world this Dark One is supposed to bring this 'great fall' upon the Abbey if they aren't allowed arms." Matt said pensively, outlining all references to it. Charlie sat down in disgusted defeat.

"I just don't know, mate," he said with a heaving sigh. "Perhaps if we…" Matt stopped listening to Charlie as he rambled on. He became lost in his own wandering thoughts as he began circling and connecting cross-references in the poem. Suddenly, something hit him with such ferocity he didn't know why he hadn't seen it before.

"That's it!" he shouted, standing up with new vigor. "We don't need - well…a few, but – oh, of course! Of _course!"_

Charlie stared at him, startled, as he began scribbling furiously on the paper that held the prophecy. "Mind telling me what you're on about?" Matt stepped back with a triumphant "Hah!" for Charlie to examine the paper. However, Charlie was unable to identify anything through his crazed co-worker's scrawl, so he allowed Matt the superior pleasure of explaining himself.

"Several times, Martin's mentioned –"

"Hold up, now!" Charlie said, holding up his paws. "How do you know this is from Martin?" Matt bit his lip.

"I'm not sure," he said. "It just fits. It says 'my Worrior' and 'my Abbey'. Also, who else have you known in Redwall lore to 'call forth' creatures to the aid of the Abbey dwellers? That, and a gut feeling." Charlie nodded.

"Gut feeling's good enough for me. I've had plenty myself –"

"I don't doubt it." It took Charlie a few moments to realize the joke made upon him, but by then Matt had launched back into his explanation.

"He's capitalized 'The One' and 'Warrior', obviously meaning for them to be titles for somebeast. And, in the ninth and tenth stanzas, he's describing the chosen companions to aid The One. Don't you see? How many of these have you read about in the history of Redwall? It's just like all the others. Only problem we face now is finding out who these four creatures are and ship 'em off to warn and, as it says, protect Redwall from its pre-destined fate."

Charlie nodded his weary head. It all sounded agreeable and was fitting into place. "And your knowledge of who these creatures are is…?"

Matt slumped into his chair, grinning. "No clue." Charlie rolled his eyes and was about to reprimand Matt when he was struck by a thought…a very _brilliant_ thought…

"I may know sombeast who might, though…"

* * *

A/N: Alright. My first Redwall fic. Woohoo! Tell me how it went, just don't ask any questions, because all will be revealed with time, my little friend! 


	2. The Situation Thickens

Matt watched from his chair as Charlie lept up and began rooting through the hordes of miscellaneous items on the floor.

"Who?" Matt asked, not moving and not getting his hopes up – he had been expectant so far and this is where it had gotten him.

"She's a friend of mine," Charlie said, his voice muffled through the desk he was digging under. "She a freaking _genius_, though, and if anybeast would be more willing or stupid enough to get mixed into something like this – ah HA!" He emerged with his telephone held high over his head and a lunatic look of triumph on his face. He quickly placed the former on the desktop, punching in a number and the speaker-phone button.

Curious now, Matt waited patiently as it rang once…twice…three times…Charlie began chewing his lip nervously. But finally, after the eigth ring, a sweet voice answered "Hello." A statement, not a question.

"Hey Hali!" Charlie said jovially, happy releif spreading across his face. "How's my girl been?"

"_Charlie! I've been ok. What have you been up to?" _Matt could detect a slight West African accent through the slightly garbled connection.

"I've been alright," Charlie said carlessly. "Gotten into a spot of trouble or two…"

"_Let me sit down from the shock!" _Matt grinned. He liked Hali already.

"Ha ha," Charlie muttered dully while throwing a dark look at Matt. "Y'know, it's a wonder I havn't talked to you in a week…"

"_No it isn't. Your phone was probably lost in that abyss you call an office."_

"Ouch. You know, that hurts, really it does."

"_I will concider my day a success."_

"Such anger from one so young, so beautiful, so talented –" 

"_Cut to the chase, Charlie, you're inturrupting my yoga session."_

"I need your help with something," Charlie continued with an air of sincerity, undeterred at his plan having been undermined.

"_Hmm…"_

"I have a proposition to make."

"_So do I: I hang up this phone right now and neither of us get into trouble."_

"Aww, Hal, but that's no fun!"

"_Neither is being wanted in three different countries, Charlie!"_

"Hey, it's only two, and they're _small_! We can skirt…who ever heard of Andorra anyways…"

"_Obviously the officials that made crashing through the Grand Counsle's roof and letting off 14 rounds illegal have!"_

"I _told_ them! I was gunning for that traitor hedgehog, What's-his-face Campbell! That ridiculous bunch of ninnies they call 'counsle creatures' wouldn't –"

"_Ah, Charlie, _I _know… Look, whatever it is, have fun, but I've got other things than getting dragged into your crazy adventures to do."_

"But you don't know how –"

"_- important and threatening to society this is? Sure I do. That ten thousand euro price over my head in Les Escaldes really convinced me _everything_ you do affects society."_

"Alright, alright. You just don't know what you are going to be missing…"

"_You know, as gut-wrenching and chill-worthy another adventure sounds right now, I have priorities."_

"I _do_ know… ahh, we'll try not to enjoy ourselves too much without you."

"…'_we'?"_

Charlie silently leapt twisting into the air and pumped his arms in gleeful exultation, startling an already shocked Matt. Charlie regained composure and said, "Why, yes, my good comrade and I."

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Hali said firmly, _"Take me off speaker-phone and give him the phone."_

Charlie's grin faded and he stupidly said, "Huh?"

"_Your 'comrade', you dolt. Put him on the phone."_

"Oh…" Charlie trailed off and glanced over at Matt, almost looking worried. After a moment and an impatient "A-_hem!_" from Hali, Charlie picked up the receiver and handed it to Matt. Matt took it catiously and said into the mouth piece in what he hoped wasn't a timid voice, "Hello?"

"_Get out now."_

Matt was taken aback. "Er, pardon?"

"_Leave Charlie's presence, don't look back, and run as fast as you can while you still have a chance."_

"Er…" Matt didn't know how to respond to this, but Charlie did. He was angrily shouting in the direction of the mouthpeice, "Oi, you rotten piece of vermin! I didn't call you to be insulted, you hear!"

"_What's your name?" _Hali asked him.

"Er, Matt…Matthew Woods."

There was silence on the other end for almost a full minute before Hali asked, almost earnestly, _"Are you relly?"_

Matt looked up at Charlie, confused, but the fat mouse had escalated into his perplexing jig in the little free floorspace again. Hali spoke into her end again. _"Tell Charlie tomorrow." _The line went dead and Matt replaced it on its cradle wordlessly. It took a few moments for his jumbled thoughts to sink in before the questions came pouring out. "Who was that?" 

"Hali. Didn't I tell you? She's been through a couple incidents with me."

"You're wanted in three different countries?"

"Only two, and one was an accident! Stupid hedgehog…"

"What were you doing on the Alastair Campbell case when you're head of Mossflower Intelligence?"

"Ah that. Weeell…er, I like to remember it as Hali's fault. Never would have if she hadn't dragged me in."

"How could she 'drag you in'?" 

Charlie shook his head and threw up his hands in defence. "Jeeze! So many questions! Ahh, I suppose I should tell you the history I have with Hal." Matt chose to take this as a rhetorical comment and stared intently at Charlie, a signal for him to continue, which he did uncomfortably, tugging at his shirt collar.

"Where should I begin…" he said, undoing his top two buttons and closing the window. Matt piped up out of curiosity, "Where from Africa is she from?" Charlie shook his head.

"Do y'know, I've never really asked her," he said, sitting down and opening one of the many drawers at his desk. "She just turned up at a bar in Vegas one day. Started a good brawl, she did; had two rats and an otter knocked out flat before somebeast knifed her from behind."

"A Rough-house!" Matt cried, surprised for what seemed the upteenth time. Rough-houses were appropriatly named for their attraction of stoats, weasles, and other assorted vermin as well as many sea otters. Hardley any were left in Europe. It seemed the most unlikeley setting for the melodious voice he had heard over the intercom. Charlie chuckled and placed a small, black rectangular case on his desk.

"Yeah, everything else was afternoon tea with granny to her. After she was chucked out, I follwed her – wasn't hard since her side was bleeding enough to paint the sidewalks. Long story short and a broken pride on my part, she consented to let me fix her up at my apartment. I was in college then; rooms full of books and head full of adventure itching to be freed. She couldn't have been hardley a few seasons younger'n me, so she was just the same. We got to talkin' which led to sharin' harebrained idea which led to thoughtful planning which led to – well, a whole lot of problems, as you probably caught the gist of. Of course, we enjoyed every minute of it – oh, don't let her protesting fool you. Most of that's just prideful bluff and her way of making sure I was serious."

Matt still wasn't buying most of it. He asked, "How?"

Charlie looked up from the case he was unzipping. "Pardon?"

"How could you just go off headlong into trouble?" Matt continued doggedly. "You didn't have the authority or funds."

Charlie's attention deserted the case. He stared at Matt hard, all traces of his jovial self gone and replaced by earnest sincerity. He got up and walked behind Matt, closing the door after looking left and right. he retook his position at his chair and after a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, he said, "If I tell you anything else, you are to see this _thing_" – a jabbed a finger at the prophecy – "all the way through."

Confused but none the less interested, Matt nodded. He was beginning to realize the importance and unusuality of the situation he had landed himself in. He supposed, one way or another, he would have to take things as they came and sort them out later. He voiced his thoughts into an affirmative agreement.

Charlie's face relaxed into a smile and he leaned back in his reclining chair. "I figured you would. Anyways…funds and fun. My sophimore year of college, when I met Hali, I took night courses for amateur archeology, modern and ancient history, and beginner's dance."

Matt raised an eyebrow and said scathingly, "'Beginner's dance?'" Charlie waved his paw as though to shoo it away like one would a stray fly.

"Yes, yes, there _is_ a point to it. Anyways, my day job was a paper-pusher for the front office for a police station. Believe it or not, I'm a very nosey creature –"

"I believe it."

" – but it was by complete chance that I glanced at a report requesting agents to assist in the arrival of one African heiress, the princess of Cam-something. (My boss came around the corner before I could read anything else.) The princess had been living in Spain for two years previous, but when her situation had become too dangerous she was transferred to the United States. She had been schedualed to arrive in Washington D.C., but Secret Services susspected assasins awaiting them after a tip-off at their headquarters. They redirected the flight to Nevada and planned to land in Las Vegas with a ready unmarked car to take her to yet another set home.

"Man, I can't even begin to describe how embarrassed the chief was when he came back and reported their officers had let the poor, defenceless princess slip through their paws and was now running amuck somewhere in the state. It was priceless…"

Matt's mouth was open slightly and he felt as though his eyebrows had long since passed his headfur line. "Don't tell me…." Charlie only smiled.

"Of course, I wouldn't call shoving the driver out of the car and nearly taking off his footpaw as she sped off 'defenceless' but there are so many twisted concepts in this world today. Back on topic; she ditched the car before they could track it and supposed she hitched a ride somewhere unknown. After having a good laugh over this, I hit the books and then went out with a couple friends to go bar-hopping. I've always seemed to hang around light-weights, so they left me early on in the evening to continue on on my own. I hit it hard, but I swear it was by some messed-up chance of fate that I chose the same Rough-house she did.

"She was already plastered when I got there and was spouting on about 'bloody cowards' and the 'worthless bits of scum' her brother's murderers were. I figured out soon enough who she was and what it would lead to if she said any more, so I went up and tapped her on the shoulder to, y'know, just say 'Hey' or something. She took this as a life threatening assult. I thank those dancing reflexes that I dropped down so fast. The poor rat behind me is probably still drinking out of a straw."

Charlie stopped his monolouge and stared off at a spot behind Matt, eyes glazed and a smile ever growing on his face. He sighed and shook his head admiringly. "It was brilliant, I tell you. I'd never seen somebeast fight like that. I don't know what they had been teaching her at that stuffy palace, but this was one creature to reckon with. She was still going strong when she was going down the street with half of her ribs showing."

Matt exhaled sharply and shook his head, not knowing wheter or not to believe most of what had been presented to him. Of course, with all the radical things he had been exposed to as of late, he wondered why this was any different. Why, it was just about as ridiculous as him finding some artifact with a long-made, life threatening prophecy in it, and yet look where he was. Never the less, he was surprised when Charlie opened the case in front of him, loaded one of the two hand guns inside in skillfully, and held it out to Matt with a shoulder holster.

"Keep this with you at all times," he said. Matt's gray eyes widened. Charlie kept his staid gaze on Matt and said, "You are to see this through, no matter how unbelievable or confusing it will be at points. There are forces higher than what we understand to be reckoned with. The least we can do is be prepared for them when they come at us." He gave Matt a reassuring smile as he took the pistol hesitantly. He then sighed and stood upon looking at the clock on his computer screen and realizing it was nearly time for the building to be closed.

"How'd you know I don't have my own?" Matt asked Charlie before gingerly copying his movements as he strapped the holster on and put the gun in its position. Charlie snorted and said, "You're a teacher who doesn't know how to dance. You have 'easy target' written all over you. In red. In bold print." Charlie threw on a tweed sports coat to cover his gun and waited for Matt to do the same with his own coat and straighten his tie.

"By the way," Charlie said as Matt finished tying his shoe. "What did Hali say?"

Matt stood. "'Tomorrow'."He walked out the door that was opened for him. "I take it you know what she ment…"

Charlie pushed the button to the elevator Lucy had come out of – good heavens, had it only been that morning? The office was nearly cleared out, but Charlie waited until they were both safe in the confines of the small rectangular box before saying, "Yes: meet at her house after she's done teaching."

"Teaching, is it?" Matt said. "And do I want to know the topic?" Charlie smiled, sensing Matt's scepticism at such an unbefitting career.

"She a music teacher," he said, stepping out of the elevator and walking towards the glass double-doors. "She works at an elementary school just outside of London. It's hardley known. But she has to keep a discrete profile, obviously, since it's too dangerous for her to even live in her own country. Her brother was shot when they were being moved to Spain."

Matt sighed and shook his head. "I don't understand the creatures in this world today…"

"Nobeast does," Charlie said mournfully. "We just have to be prepared for anything and hope for the best…wonder what she's up to –" Charlie had spun around when he had heard his name being shouted half-way across the sidwalk. Matt also turned and saw Lucy running towards them, waving a paper in her paw at them and calling out "Charlie!" again.

Matt had been through a lot that day. Going from one official to the other, realizing exactly what he had found in that Redwall schoolbook, and swearing himself into something far more exhilarating and yet frightening than his average life as a humble professor could offer was much to deal with. He had concidered himself doing an adequate job so far. Yes, he did have plenty more questions to be answered and much was disturbingly unknown, but toleration had usually been one of his stronger points. However, nothing could have brought him into sharper realization to the danger he was in and would be getting himself deeper into thatn what happened next.

For a few seconds, everything seemed to be going in slow motion, but then his world exploded – at least his surroundings did.

While Matt was still standing in shock and vaugly aware of a sharp pain on his left side, Charlie sprang into action. He darted between several cars towards Lucy, grabbing her by the paw and pulling her after him. Matt had enough sense left through his stupor to follow Charlie as several more shots rang out in the cool evening air. Later he would thank the higher level instinct that had been played.

Charlie sprinted in a bent-down weave through the parking lot until he came to a dark blue Pontiac. He opend the passenger door and ushered Lucy inside before turning to Matt and motioning for him to do the same, a look of utmost terror on his face. Matt had hardley been seated when a shot whined past Charlie's ear and shattered the window of the car behind him. Charlie thought better attempting to reach the other door and instead vaulted across Matt's lap and into the drivers seat. It seemed to take him an eternity to jam the key into the ignition, start the vehicle, and tear out of the lot, tires screeching in protest and engine roaring loud enough to drown out the ringing in Matt's ears. Lucy recovered before he did.

"What the _hell_ was that?" she shouted at Charlie, sitting on the edge of the back seat and hitting him furiously on the shoulder. Charlie winced but continued to look back at the rapidly receading M16 building, hardley glancing at the road ahead of him as he maneuvered the vibrating car through traffic traveling at fractions of the speed Matt found himself moving when he finally came to and released a large breath he had not known he had been holding. He looked over at Charlie, mouth hanging open, also seeking answers. Lucy must have read this as some secret message between the two male mice for she went into another fit of hysterics.

"What in the world is going on!" she shreiked. "Charles Percivile Baker, you talk to me right now!"

Desipte the grave sincerity of the situation, Matt's shock was penitrated by Lucy's comment in a very odd way: "You're middle name's Percivile?"

Charlie did not seem to think this such an odd comment and said, still looking over his shoulder, "My mother was an avid reader and my father was…well, a bit of a card. When he suggested it as a joke, my mother took it seriously and with great enthusiasm. It's still a good topic at family reunions."

"I can imagine," Matt nodded. Lucy was looking between the pair, deciding who it would be more satisfying to beat with her shoe first. She was about to settle for Matt when Charlie came to his rescue by reaching out for her paw and taking it in his own.

"Look," he said, staring her straight in the eyes. (Sight seemed to be an unneeded sense when driving, convincing Matt he had been in too many situations like this before.) "I'm sorry you got into this. We'll take you home if you're all right – "

"I am not all right!" Lucy cried, pulling her paw free and throwing it over her eyes as she slumped back in her seat. "I was just shot at! _Shot_ at!"

She pulled her paws away and glared from Charlie to Matt to Charlie again. "I want to know what idiotic thing you have pulled this poor younge mouse into!" she shouted, pointing at Matt. Charlie blew a strand of headfur from his eyes and observed her from the rear-veiw mirrior, muttering something about somebeast planting a bug in his phone. Matt was about to ask what kind of bug when he finally executed the fact that he was in an American model. Bug forgotten, he strove to search his memory banks as to why the car was important. He didn't come up with anything and he was beginning to feel dizzy, so he stopped and leaned back into the soft leather seats with a sigh. Charlie's gaze flicked over to him.

"You alright there, mate?" he asked concernedly.

"He's bleeding!" Lucy exclaimed softly and pointed to his left side, just an inch above his armpit where his arm connected to his body. Matt looked down and saw a small patch of rusty coloured blood staining his dark jacket. He touched it and his paw came away, sticky and warm. Why was he bleeding?

Charlie jerked the weel of the car and pulled off to the side of the road. Matt was half way to unconciousness when Charlie was pulling his jacket to the side, exposing his wound to cold air. Matt shivered violently and gasped, Lucy's brilliant blue eyes, filled with concern and unshed tears, was the last thing he saw before his world went black.

* * *

Matt woke with a groan and a pair of twinkling brown eyes hovering merrily over him. He groaned again when he realized they belonged to Charlie.

"What happened?" Matt moaned, sitting up and clasping his head as it gave a great, swooning throb.

"You passed out," a kind voice said from behind Charlie. Matt pried his eyes open again with much difficulty in time to see Lucy coming at him with a damp cloth, glass of water, and several asprins. He took the latter two gratfully and downed them. Charlie grinned animatedly over Lucy's shoulder.

"You've got some sort of freakishly amazing luck," he said as Lucy tried to dab at Matt's forehead with the cloth. "I'd say it was more from shock than pain that you went out like a light."

Matt nodded. "I couldn't even feel anything."

Charlie's grin widened. "You didn't even get hit that deep." He held up a thick bunch of papers, a narrow hole through all of them surrounded by blood. Matt regognized them after a few seconds.

"My students' essay papers!" he exclaimed, resisting Lucy's attempts to get him to lie back again. "Those were the last small bunch and I was taking them home to grade them…"

"Well, you should thank your students," Charlie said, also holding up Matt's gun holster. "Between the bulk of those in your coat pocket and your holster strap, the bullet hardley went in you. Lucy's fixed you up and you should be good as new in a week or so."

Matt stood, all traces of pain gone. He deduced by the lack of clutter in the surrounding area that they were not on any property of Charlie's. Pictures on the walls, bookself, and entertainment center of Lucy standing with a graying mouse that looked much like her, another with a female that had her same brilliant eyes, and several more with her surrounded by what looked to be family and friends certified Matt's assumption.

"Where are we?" he asked. Understanding the specificy, Lucy answered, "Belgrave and Warwick. It's a rented flat, so you thank your lucky stars you didn't get blood on my carpet."

Matt smiled at Charlie, glad Lucy's mood had improved enough for her to scorn and scold again. He voiced, "I suppose you explained to her then?" Charlie nodded grimly.

"I tried to just divulge in the basics, but you know these nosey types: need to know everything…" he tried his hardest to scowl at Lucy but ended up looking ridiculously like drug-addict with a facial twitch. Lucy threw the cloth Matt had declined at Charlie's face with a courtly "Oh, hush up, you!" Matt overlooked their antics and asked, "Do we know who was shooting at us?"

Charlie chucked the small towel back at its origional offender and followed Matt's pacing with his eyes as he said, "No. It was an eaves-dropper, though. They didn't start shooting until Lucy called out my name and they found out who we were. They must have gotten ahold of the files with all the information about the prophecy from Scarlett's files or something. I don't know how they could have though…"

"I could guess," Matt said, stopping his pacing to give his arm a rub when it twinged painfully. "But it would be even crazier than this whole nonsensical affair. We're just going to have to leave it as a hole for now, as much as I hate doing that."

"A life endangering hole," Lucy snapped. "We need to figure out who would want this prophecy to remain hidden."

Matt and Charlie both responded simultaneously: "The Dark One."

"Whoever that is," Charlie added, sitting on the couch Matt had been occupying minutes previously.

"Or one of the creatures working for him," Matt supplemented, taking up his gradual wearing down of the floor again. "So that narrows our options down to 25 to 50 percent of the creatures in Great Britain…bloody fabulous…"

"I faxed the copy of the peom to Hali," Charlie put in. "She said she would get right on it."

Matt nodded, listening but not obtaining anything from the conversation Lucy picked up with Charlie after that. He hoped with all his might that Hali was every bit the genious Charlie claimed her to be. Or perhaps an angle. A miricle would be nice right about now…

* * *

A/N: For the record, I don't know how the public veiws the real Alistair Campbell so forgive me if I've offended anyone. Second, he didn't really do what I have mentioned and will mention later on. It's some figment of my ludicrous imagination and part of my plot. The same goes for John Scarlett. For all I know, they could be the most honored men in all of Europe. I think I just read a few questionable reports and informational sites about them and got a very strong impression. 

Thanks to my reveiwers! I love you muchas!

**impressed:** Thanks so much! your support is much needed at this shakey stage.  
**The-Very-Little-Turtle:** I'm glad you're so overly impressed. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!  
**clara200: **Yes, it is, and if you don't like it you can just stick it up your close-minded nose.


	3. Enter Hali and MORE Problems, would you ...

Matt, though physically recovered from the days events, had not felt entirly safe in the thought of returning to his home. Somebeast was out for him. They knew his name. They knew he had the prophecy, and they wanted to stop him from learning anymore. He and Charlie both stayed with Lucy at her flat that night, Charlie more for support to his two comprehension- weary friends.

The next morning, after Charlie thoroughly searched his car for bugs or anything out of place, the three mice drove to the library a few blocks away from Matt's flat. Charlie and Lucy waited inside while Matt walked to his front door as inconspicuously as was possible and retrieved the book with the origional copy of the prochecy inside it. It was when he was placing it in a brown leather bag he could strap across his chest, his subconcious lured him to a small pouch made from white, beaded linen that his grandfather had given him many seasons ago…

_Matt didn't want to stay in the hospital room. Watching the mouse that had stood as his confidant and idol for so long slowly dying was more than the younge mouse could bear. However, his Papa, as he had so fondly called him since birth, called Matt to him via Matt's father. _

_Matt had entered the room with a growing dread that he would be witness to his Papa's death. Papa wouldn't allow him to linger at the doorway, though, and beakoned him closer as Matt's parents left the room. "C'm 'ear, little one, I've sumthin' I want you t'keep ahold of for me…" Matt was, against his will, sympathetically curious and did his grandfather's bidding. _

"_Take this," his grandpa said, coughing into his paw after Matt had taken the linen bag, eyes large with wonder and amazment. So many years had Matt looked to the bag in admiration and wonderment, and Papa was now giving to him when he was hardle eight seasons strong! _

_It was the very bag Martin the Warrior retrieved from his birth place in his quest to learn the story of his father, Luke. It had been kept among the few treasures in Redwall Abbey for seasons until the visit of the young Healer mousemaid Aubretia. Abbot Saxtus had given it to the maid before she departed as thanks to the history of their warrior founder she left them with, as well as expressing a feeling that he felt it belonged to her in some curious way. The bag had passed through many many generations until it had come to the paws of Matt's Papa. It had begun to yellow with age desipte the excelent preservation it had been subjected to and several of the beads had been replaced with exact replicas over the countless ages. Matt was about to release the pull strings and open it when Papa stayed his paw._

"_No!" he rasped weakly, coughing painfully again before continuing. "I've never opened it. It was not ment for me to open, and it wasn't ment for y'father. It's ment fer you…just not yet. You'll know when th' time comes…a terrible time it will be…"_

"_Papa?" Matt squeaked worriedly. His grandfather had lain back against his pillow and stared at the ceiling with wide, glazed over eyes, his breathing turning to soft rasps through his open mouth. Matt jumped when the door behind him was thrown open and slammed into the wall. He sprinted from the room with the bag clutched to his chest when his parents and nurses came rushing in. He could hardley bear to glance back one last time. He wouldn't remember many of the words his Papa spoke to him after he woke from the fitfull sleep he would cry himself into, and he wouldn't know what he had ment by most of them until much later…_

Matt sighed. He grabbed the pouch and carfully placed it in the leather bag on top of his wallet, a change of clothes for he and Charlie, and the small crystal figurine of Abbess Germaine his sister had given him when it turned up in her shop, another item on whim he was bringing.

Lucy's maicured nails had been reduced down to he pawtips when Matt returned. Even the irrepressible Charlie looked relieved to see him. "Could have taken a bit longer, there," he said jokingly as Matt and Lucy clambered into his car, trying to smile and lighten the mood. "Not in any hurry…"

Lucy started the car awkwardly as Charlie sat next to Matt in the back seat, asking Lucy, "You sure you can drive it?"

Lucy took up an indignantly affronted air and said, "Of course I can!" Despite how unsure she looked, she pressed on the gas pedal and the car went off like a shot, throwing Charlie and Matt backwards. It was more tragic for the latter, as he had been halfway through putting on his kaki trousers after slipping out of his working slacks. Lucy gained control of the vehicle after only a few miles, though, and was soon comfortable enough to start muttering about bloody Americans.

"We're going to have to change cars," Matt muttered through the black knit jumper he was pulling over his shirt. Charlie, supremely miffed and shocked, popped his head through the clean t-shirt of Matt's and exclaimed, "Why!"

"Oh, Charlie," Lucy snapped, eyeing him through the rear- veiw mirror. "I know your precious car means _everything_ to you, but how many American models do you see on the streets? It's an easy target, and frankly, I'm not sure why we're still in it." She peered worriedly out the front again. Her voice had trailed off to almost a wimper. Charlie put an apologetic and comforting hand on her shoulder.

Matt had pulled out the linen bag in the silence that followed thereafter and was staring at it intently, remember the fateful day he had obtained it. Charlie finished tying the lace of his black sneaker and pulled his dark jean pantleg over it, asking Matt, "What's that?" Matt felt it a slight betrayal to his grandfather's memory when he turned it towards Charlie to veiw. It only took Charlie the few seconds he saw it to realize what it was, though. He stared at Matt with open- mouthed awe.

"What is it?" Lucy asked curiously. Charlie, after shaking his head to clear himself of his stupor, proudly explained.

"You know your Redwall history, don't you? Yes, yes, expected. Well well…Mr. Woods here had me going on that he had no connections to the place other than knowing it through studies, and yet here he sits with the very container that held the image of our Warrior that is now on the tapestry in the Great Hall! Handed down from the very first Martin to Luke, then to the founder of Redwall, Martin the Warrior! That bag has passed through great paws, it has!" Lucy was titillated at this announcement and asked by whom he had been given such a thing. Matt smiled weakly and explained. Charlie was awed completley and clapped a paw on Matt's shoulder, apologizing when Matt winced from the twing it gave his cut.

"That's something to be truly proud of," Charlie said. Matt smiled fully this time and replied instantly, "I am." He looked out the window and noticed for the first time his surroundings. They had left the main hub of the city and the road was leading into a much less densly populated town. Charlie stretched and looked at the digital clock on the dashboard.

"Two- thirty," he said, slipping into a gray, hooded sweater and zipping it up. "Excelent. We should be at Hali's in an hour or so, maybe less." He pulled the thin, black laptop from his own bag and set it on his knee. A chart popped up alongside a document. The fine print scrolling by at a rapid speed was making Matt woozy; he had never really been one with an easy stomach for travling. He settled for closing his eyes and turning his face down towards his paws. He leaned his head against the window, the cool glass caressing his ear wonderfully.

He was back at his childhood home, happily sitting in the sandbox with his baby sister until some neighborhood boys rode up on scooters and bikes and hailed him over. He stood and did so, not listening to the calls of Mary behind him. He turned around to tell her to hush, but she had been replaced by a female mouse, perhaps 20 seasons of age. She could have been much younger, but the worry in her beautiful face aged her. Matt thought she looked a bit similar to his great- grandmother when she was younger, (Papa had shown Matt many pictures of his mother,) but he reasoned with himself. He had never known his grandmother and her son had been dead for almost two seasons now. Besides, from what Papa had told him, grandmother had had blue eyes, not hazle ones. And she had always kept her hair in a short bob, not long and pulled back with a tie. And what was that funny dress she was wearing?

"Matthew," she called out to him. Although it was strained with worry and distress, it was the most melodious thing he had ever heard. "Watch for what is coming. Stay with the ones you trust, not those that may appear to be friends." Matt tried to wave behind him and call "_They_ are my friends", but his arms were exceedingly heavy and his mouth would not form words. The pretty mousemaid seemed to read his thoughts though, for she shook her head sharply and said, "Things are not what they appear to be. Creatures can be deceived by the outer shell, but One may look past that to greater things. Look beyond, Matthew…"

She was receding into the white mists. Matt tried to call out to her, but she only retreated farther. He turned back to the neighborhood boys…but was confronted by leering faces peering down at him maliciously! They closed in on him slowly, brandishing an assortment of weapons at him. Matt was rooted to the ground, paralized with fear as the ever- growing horde of vermin advanced on him. He was pushed roughly from his left side and his arm gave a sharp twing, a voice grunting gruffly in his ear, "Oi, lazychops, let me work, willya?"

Matt's head connected with the window as he slumped sideways with a resounding _tunk!_, waking him up fully. He rubbed his head ruefully and glared at Charlie who glared back squarley.

"Geeze!" the latter said huffily with a twinkle in his eye, straightening out several slightly rumpled papers and setting his laptop straight. "The way you were moving around in your sleep, you would think you were being massacred!" Matt looked out the window, deciding not to answer and shuddering involuntarily. He was surprised to see they were driving down a country lane, trees of all varieties pressing in upon them. Shuddering again, Matt asked, "Where are we?"

Charlie grunted inconprehensibly from when he was engrossed in another document. Matt shrugged it off as Lucy pulled off the paven road and onto a dirt side- street. She slowed their speed as they bounced along. Charlie sighed and closed his notebook as a large farmhouse came into veiw. It was two stories, painted white with blue trim and shutters. The yard was neatly kept; despite the odd assorment of childrens play things, black skateboard, bright red scooter, and numerous bikes lying about the yard and halfway in their shed off to the left of the neat little house, it looked as though nothing were out of place. Beyond the shed was an enormous oak with a wooden platform built high in its leafy boughs and slats nailed to the trunk leading up to it, a tire siwng hanging on one side and a rope on the other.To the right of the house and coming out in front from an angle, a weeping willow sheltered a sandy stretch of flowers just before a sweeping pond where toy boats and other random items hung about. Matt even spotted the reminants of a childs tea-party lingering on the front porch in front of the bench swing.

"Just to warn you," Charlie said as Lucy brought the car to a stor and they all piled out. "Hali is a bit – er, well, _eccentric_ might be too strong of a word…no, it's not…"

"I had no idea there was an established definition for 'normal' in this day and age," Matt countered with a grin. "Come on, mate, I've been through plenty in the past 24 hours, being shot at not to be forgotten among the many things. Lay it on me…"

Lucy laughed and led the way up the path to the red front door, her purple maryjanes kicking up a small cloud of dust as she jumped over a tricycle and white skirt bouncing around her knees. "Come on, you two lumps! I'm sure she's waiting – ah, yes, spoke too soon…" Charlie grinned and tilted an ear towards the house, but Matt thought it was unnessicary. From his spot 20 feet away, he could almost _feel_ the loud music issuing from within, the drums and loud chanting making his ears twitch.

"Heavens!" he exclaimed, clapping his paws about them. "What does she do again?" Charlie chuckled.

"Teaches elementary students classical instruments. Facinating, isn't it?" Matt's mind was going on an instant hiatus from the pounding in his ears, so he left it at "facinating" for lack of better word being able to be found. Lucy marched right up the stairs a dozen paces ahead of the two male mice, knocking on the door loudly and ringing the doorbell several times. Matt breathed a silent thanks as the music from within stopped and the same sweet voice that he had heard over the phone called through the door, "Come on in, you three! It's open for you…"

Lucy opened the door upon the bidding and stepped inside. Charlie and Matt were about to follow when they were set upon, by what, Matt didn't know. He shouted out in surprise and terror when a proportionally huge head jumped down at him unpleasantly, it's wide mouth set in a wicked grin and whole head surrounded by the same spikey grasses that composed a chest cover and skirt too large for it. Tiny chesnut eyes set in huge sockets leered feircly at them from it's tan face. The effect was somewhat spoiled when a squeaky voice growled, "Grrraaoooowwwaaahgg! I etta you up foh sturbin my dance, yoose maggits!"

While Matt was clutching at his chest and attempting to regain his breath, Charlie laughed and swept the creature up, saying, "Haharr! I'd like to see you try when I duck you under the pond out there, you little maggot!" He began tickling the little creature, who squealed and laughed in pained delight. Now that is was on the ground and not flying through the air at him, Matt realized it was a little child, a squirrlebabe. His second assumptions were affirmed when the child pulled up his mask and stared up at Matt with a gleeful smile after he had lept from Charlie's arms.

"Ahaha!" he laughed in triumph. "I skarra you, huh huh? Youse a fwaidy- kitten!" Lucy did not help Matt's broken pride when she collapsed from laughter on the couch in the spacious livingroom that connected with the small area of terra-cotta tiles that made the entry way.

"Ahahahaha! Ooh, you should have seen yourself, heeheehee! It was classic! I wish I had a camera! Ahahahahahahaha!" Matt's face flushed in embarressment as the creature next to her unsucessfully stiffled a laugh as she swept up the squirrle.

"Dill Williams! Teehee, erm,shame on you, trying to scare away Charlie and his friends. Be off, you little imp! Your mother will be wondering where you got off to…"

"No she-a not," Dill scoffed as he pulled off the mask the rest of the way with the chest cover and kilt. "She-a knowd I bees with you alla time!"

"Oh, away with you, you maggot, I have work to do!" Dill oblidged and skipped past Matt out the door, calling back to him, "Byebye, mista Fwaidy- kittens! Byebye, Hali! Byebye, Charlie'n'Lucy! I sees yoose all t'morrow!" Matt turned back around, still blushing furiously when he had to stifle yet another shock.

Hali had stood upright, Dill's costume in her paws. She set that on theground next to thescrubbed coffee table and picked her way through the dozens of papers on the surrounding floor and over to Matt, holding out her white paw to him with a brilliant smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Woods."

Hali was as straight as an arrow and about as skinny as one too, long hindlegs and torso putting her at least a good head and a half taller then Matt. She was a bright reddish hue. Her paws, footpaws, the tips of her ears, her pointed muzzle extending up to her eyes and to the top of her chest, and a third of her long, thick tail were white though. She was an excelent speciman, through and through, of a fox.

Matt stood stock still for a moment, not knowing what to say or even think. A memory flashed in front of his eyes when something quizzical appeared in Hali's brilliant hazel eyes: the image of a beautiful yet mournful mousemaid and her warning.

"…_Creatures can be deceived by the outer shell, but one may look past that to greater things…"_

Matt smiled and took her paw in his, shaking it firmly and saying, "Same here. I've heard nothing but good things about you." He winced in pain as Hali's strong paw tightened around his and pumped it harder.

"I've heard the same about you, and not just through Charlie. Creatures all over South France were talking about _'Matthew étonnant et merveilleux, qui a exposé Campbell, le traître d'un hérisson'. _It's my honor to have met such a creature." Hali gave Matt another one of her dazzling smiles, who smiled back. Charlie let out a breath behind him.

"Come," Hali said, releasing Matt's paw, much to the releif of Matt himself. "I have much to show you. I'm glad you came, Lucy."

Lucy flashed her own smile, but it was more of a grimace. "As soon as Charlie works this out and gets me out of it, I'm going to kill him."

Hali smiled but shook her head. "I don't think Charlie could have helped it…"

"What do you mean?" Matt piped up. Hali rounded on him and gave him the same soul-picking search that Charlie had given him the other day.

"You're a teacher," she said. "I'm surprised you hadn't figured it all out. But then…mice are humble creatures as they come. Add in something like this, they won't accept…" She had slowly trailed off, but her lips were still moving as she muttered to herself. Charlie was irked by the fact she had strayed her attention from them and the topic. He closed the door and asked, "Mind telling us what you're going on about, Hal? Or do you plan to give us subtitles…"

"Oh, you shoosh," she said, walking over to the coffee table and plopping herself onto the floor in front of it amid the center of her paperwork. Lucy took a more gracful seat on the couch, Charlie sitting next to her. Matt chose a bit of fluffy carpet a few feet in front of Hali, who plucked out the faxed copy of the prophecy. It too had its own scribbles, lines, and diagrams drawn across it. She flattened it out on the low table and began to explain, tucking back a strand of headfur that had come free from her messy ponytail.

"Have we all established this is Martin speaking? 'My sword', lingering precence, the whole deal? Excelent. Same goes for present day, blah blah blah, and we come to the creatures he seeks aid from: 'My sweet flower I call forth To bring order over all'."

Charlie and Matt were still looking stupidly down at the paper, waiting for her to continue. Hali, however, was staring pointedly at Lucy, who gasped.

"What?" Charlie asked, looking up finally. Hali rolled her eyes heavenwards and sighed impatiently.

"Lucy dear, would you mind refreshing the inferior memory of you co-worker, please, before I get a headache from his incompetence. What is your middle name?" Lucy's prodigious eyes were wide with revered awe. When she answered, it was hardley above a whisper: "Rose."

Matt's jaw dropped and Charlie's eyebrows shot up. The latter regained speech first, not to anybeasts surprise. "Well…keeping order is your criteria. Who's…oh, what is it – 'Your match to aid the jaunt'?"

Hali stepped back in. "That was odd at first, because there is _no_beast in this world who is like our Lucy. Then I figured: mirror image. It's your exact match, just backwards…or opposite. It's like a magnent; opposites attract. Unfortunatly, I've befriended your opposite, Lucy, and I'm loath to allow him allong on the 'jaunt'."

Charlie, however, was not loath at all. He whooped excitedly and pumped his arms in the air. After squeezing Lucy in a hug, kissing her swiftly on the cheek, and getting a good slap on the shoulder for it, he exclaimed, "_That's _what I'm talking about! I knew there had to be a reason for getting moved into that stuffy office- job! So…what's next?" Matt spoke, the next stanza clicking into place, courtesy of his dream.

"Hali's going too. Look… 'Friend to all, yet once a foe.' If you can befriend hoodlums like Dill and Charlie, I'm sure you're friends to a lot of creatures, yet you were once concidered a foe as, er…"

"Vermin?" Hali was smiling. "It's ok, you can say it. I don't veiw myself as that, though. It's a title based upon personality, not species, so I take no offence."

Matt nodded. "I couldn't agree more. And I've gotten the impression you know how to take care of youself…"

He smiled as he glanced around the cream coloured wall. A similar African ritual costume to the one Dill had been wearing, dyed red, was hanging next to a glass case filled with different knives and daggers above the heads of Charlie and Lucy. A paw-crafted dirk was suspended between two pegs above the case. The wall behind Matt hosted two crossed samurai swords, another mask, this one Japanease, hanging above them, looking very much like it would jump out at you if you dared to touch them. More random knic- knacs crowded the bookshelves to the left of the sofa. More were also found on the entertainment center to the right of the french doors leading to the Hali's back yard and the left of a hallway on the wall to the right of Matt. Many snapshots in frames along the free wall and shelf space convinced Matt every item was taken personally from the location by Hali. Matt had a hard time not snorting out in laughter as he saw one of them: Charlie standing over a unimpressed looking goat, holding out a red, gold-lined cape as used in bullfighting in Spain.

Chalie gave the tall, intricatly detailed Talking Drum next to his couch armrest a sharp rap and chuckled. "You don't know the half of it. She's got an archery and knife- throwing range out back. How cool is that? Bet you don't know any creatures who have something like that, do you?"

"I don't know, Chalire," Lucy said, elbowing him in the ribs. "You're the first creature I've ever met who could store two tons of junk in a 30 cubic foot office…"

Matt and Hali laughed. Charlie scowled and said loudly, "Moving on!"

"Do you know any specific creatures who have it in for Redwall?" Hali asked, standing up with the prophecy in paw, grabbing a pair of headphones from the entertainment center and pulling them over her ears. She stared intently at the paper as she paced back and forth, long tail swaying back and forth in time to her music. Charlie obviously knew this to be a habit of hers to help her think, for he pulled his laptop out and opened the files he had been looking through.

"Yes…do you happen to know the current location of Badrang Nigel Averill?"

Hali stopped her pacing and stared hard at Charlie, pulling off her earphones slowly. Even Lucy turned to stare at him. Hali said, "Yeah. About 14 miles outside of South London in Norwood Cemetery." Charlie cocked an eyebrow. "You certain about that?" Hali glared at him through slitted eyes while Lucy shivered and drew her baby- pink cardigan closer around her. Matt was thoroughly confused.

"Wait a tick," he said, thinking quickly. "Badrang…was – "

"'Mine enemy'," Hali injected, mouth hanging open. "I thought that…but – we_ saw_ him, Charlie! How…oooh, Lord…" She slumped down against the wall beneath the sheathed swords, groaning and pulling her headphones back on. Matt was beginning to get angry.

"Mind telling me who…this – _Badrang_ is supposed to be when he was killed by Martin hundreds of seasons ago?" Charlie had his head buried in his paws, elbows on the coffee table. He lifted all up and looked Matt square in the eye.

"He's one of the creatures that was working with Alistair Campbell, simply a result of sadistic parents who though Badrang had the right idea and named him after the origional. Badrang, as every creature, had separate, ouside resources. Campbell was never interested in Redwall because of all the laws he would have to get around, the lazy slimeball. Badrang was willing to put the effort where it counted, though, and was _very_ interested. We learned he was working with Campbell on the side to infitrate the SIS and get information on Redwall. I think he might have even gotten it when you report the prophecy almost half a season back, because he ditched Campbell to head back to his own happy vermin. We're not sure how far his network extends because it's so complex.

"Anyways, after that, er, mishap with the shooting at Andorra, we tried to go after Badrang. It took several companies to track him down. Some of our creatures hardley found him a few weeks ago, but we saw his body being brought in. (They'd been shooting to wound, but he wouldn't stop at that.) Although, it seems it was some very well thought out decoy…almost like a twin or something, because he's back and gunning for us."

Hali stood up. "It doesn't make sense. Where's the proof?" Charlie reached into his bag and tossed something small to Hali.

"We dug that out of Matt's shoulder," he said grimly. "We can show you the wound if you like." Hali did like, and Matt pulled down the neck of his jumper to reveal the rapidly healing hole. She whistled as he was readjusting his shirt coller.

"Lucky break for you there, mate," she said, examining the bullet in her paw closer. Suddenly, she growled and bared her teeth. "The bloody cowards, Charlie! Paw- made so we can't track them. Same kind they pulled out of you, me, and my brother…Denis wasn't so lucky though…"

Matt felt an immense sadness for Hali. He didn't know what he would do if he lost Mary. He resolved to call her as soon as he was certain it souldn't be hazardous to her saftey. Everyday. Maybe twice.

"It's ok, Hali," Lucy whispered. Hali smiled at the sweet mouse.

"Ah, I know Luc," she said and resumed pacing. "I suppose it's nice to know who we are protecting our Abbey from; it will be an especially sweet revenge…" Looking into her blazing hazel eyes, Matt knew this was no empty threat.

"On a happier note," Charlie said after a moment of tension- filled silence. "Matt gets to stand above us all and witness the whole thing from the best seat in the house!"

"What?" Matt said stupidly, jerking his gaze up from his paws.

"O Mighty One, I am at your disposal!" Charlie stood up and, making an elegant leg, bowed comically.

"Please," Lucy said, pulling Charlie back down. "Dispose of him quickly." Charlie pretended to look hurt by her comment.

"Such a sweet flower," he said, voice cracking with feigned emotion. "But I know now: the thorn doth sting sharply! I say, Mighty One, couldn't we just leave her here?"

"What are you talking about?" Matt exclaimed angrily, looking to Hali for answers, hoping there would be at least one creature to give him a sensible answer. She looked down at him steadfastly and said, "Don't you get it? You are The One…"

* * *

A/N: urg. Let's all give a collective sigh of frustration. 

Ok, so it's not that bad. It was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed to read it. You _could _tell me in a review y'know…

**The-Very-Little-Turtle: **Sorry if I scared you too badly. It's just in my nature, doncha know. And I hope some questions were answered in this chapter. If not, with time everything will make sense.


	4. The Cavalry Arrives

Matt looked from one creature to another in the room, searching for some unspoken answer. Finding none, he spoke, realizing his mouth had been open slightly. "You're kidding, right?"

Hali almost looked confused. Matt laughed out loud and said, "Haha! I mean, come on. Me? _The One_? I couldn't even lead my high school science project. You expect me to believe I'm supposed to be some…some – oh, I don't even know the word for it!"

"_We_ don't expect you," Hali said, the initial surprise she, Charlie and Lucy had experienced wearing off. "Martin does. And just look at the facts! You're the professor; you tell me the definition of 'precursor'."

"'One that precedes and indicates, suggests, or announces someone or something to come'," Matt recited, his stomach feeling rather unsettled. "But what does _that_ matter?"

"Oh, come on," Charlie said impatiently. "You're the one who _found_ the a-cursed thing! What in your mind would lead you to think you _wouldn't_ be going? That would be totally analytical!"

Lucy's encouraging gaze turned from Matt to Charlie, transforming into a bemuddled, nose-wrinkled glare at Charlie's ill-placed word choice. Matt was still dealing with the sudden narcosis the revelation of the prophecy had put him in, so he did not notice. He nodded slowly and reluctantly. He suddenly remembered something from his dream. "Not 'one', she ment 'One'," he muttered to himself. Charlie gave him a confused look, but Matt payed no heed.

"All right," he said, looking squarley at his three companions. "I'm all in for it."

Lucy and Hali both looked relieved that the sudden rememberance and comprehension of his dream gave him firm conviction that it was the correct choice to be making. Charlie was about to voice something, a confused expression still on his features, but Hali shushed him swiftly.

"You'll see in the end what good you are doing, Matt," she said convincingly. Somebeast knocked at her front door. She stood, walking over to answer it as she continued, "There's a lot more to come, but time always – "

She cut off sharply and slammed the door shut, pressing her back up against it and bracing her paws against the frame as through to prevent somebeast from entering. She looked horrified. As Charlie and Lucy stood in alarm, she darted forward as though she were going to attempt to make it down the hallway behind Matt. But, when another – louder – knock sounded on the door, she decided she wouldn't make it and swerved to her direct right through the swinging kitchen door, hissing, "I don't live here!" Curiosity replacing apprehension when a third booming knock, followed by a male voice that called through, "Hali, open the door!", Charlie walked forward, granting the request.

A fox stood on the other side of the threshold. His red fur was a few shades darker than Hali's, and his front paws, (one of them currently poised in the air to pound on the door again,) were black instead of white. His slender muzzle, chin and bib area trimmed with snowy fur, was set into a frown that deepened when he saw the creature that followed through his command. Rolling his honey coloured eyes heavenwards, he called into the house, "Hali! Quit playing around and come out here!"

Dawning came upon Charlie. "I take it you're Todd?" he asked the fox politley, stepping to the side and allowing him entrence to the house. Todd nodded, needing to stoop slightly to avoid the top of the doorframe as he took Charlie's invitation. "I take it you are Charlie?"

Charlie grinned roguishly and said proudly, "Yup. Although, I'm not sure what you've heard about me, so forget all of it except for the remarkable bits, because those are true."

Matt had deducted that Todd was from Hali's country from the very light accent there was through his dominant Yankee tounge. By the curiously uniformish-looking green tunic and leather belt he had on, Matt would have guessed he was some creature in Hali's guard in her origional country. Todd, however, was in no mood for lengthy introductions.

"Where's she at?" he asked Charlie, frowning again. Charlie, apparently finding Todd's American roots as kindred spirit material, unabashedly jerked a thumb in the direction of the kitchen and said, "In there. Just hope she hasn't made it through the attic and onto the roof."

Todd had taken three lengthy strides to the door and was about to go through it when Hali herself came out, surveying Todd with great dislike. When she walked forward, Todd took several aprehensive steps backwards, holding his paws up in defence. Turning her peircing stare onto Charlie, Hali snapped, "Thanks a lot."

Charlie shrugged and said, "You're welcome."

Glaring at Todd once again, Hali asked, "What do you want?"

Standing up to his full height and trying to move past the fact he had practically been cowering under her gaze, he said, "It's not what _I_ want; it's what your father wants."

"Oh, is it, now?" Hali practically shouted, turning on her bare pawfoot and pacing several steps away from Todd before rounding on him again, charm braclets jingling as she waved her paws in the air. "And what does the all- knowing fool want now, eh?"

Todd matched her stare, determindly not rising to her firey temper. "To know where you are. Hali, you haven't contacted anybeast for almost _four seasons_, now!"

"Best four seasons of my life."

"Things have gotten to the point of chaos back home."

"Obviously they have," Hali sneered. "If they've sent _you!_" She gave Todd a swift poke in the sternum. He winced, but continued anways.

"If you had bothered to care," he said, as much displeasure working into his own voice as Hali had thrown about in hers. "You would have learned I've been placed Captain over the Palace Guard, and that position required me to be the one that tracked you down."

Hali looked mildly impressed. "Well, you've come upon the problem: I _don't _care. Now, you can just clear off!"

Todd shook his head and sighed, giving her a crooked smile despite the grave tone he had been delivering his speech with. "I know you don't feel that way, Hali. Come on, I've known you since we were, what, 7?"

"Yes," she snapped, still not about to be consoled. "And I could beat you up then, I can do it now, no problem. I'm giving you the count of two to get out…"

Todd sighed again and said, "We didn't come for –"

"'We'?" Hali interjected, putting her paws on her hips and taking another step towards him, tilting her head back sharply to glower up at him, as he stood a head taller than she. "What harebrained idiot would go tracking with _you?_"

Matt, feeling thoroughly confused and much like a tennis match spectator from looking back and forth between the vixen and fox as they threw words, jerked his head up as a lean, light-chestnut brown otter popped through the door crying in a thick American accent, "To whom does this car belong to?" He was pointing a paw out the door towards Charlie's Pontiac. The mouse answered proudly, "Mine."

The otter whistled admiringly, jealousy clouding his handsome features quite comically. Hali, miraculously, grinned brightly and addressed the otter happily, "Ben, you brainless fool, how are you!"

Ben smiled and entered the house fully, also stooping to avoid a collision. He glided over to her and scooped her up in an enormous bearhug, spinning her around in circles as he said, "A bit worse for the wear, but I'm not dead yet!"

Charlie waited calmly with his paws clasped in front of him as, laughing girlishly, Hali was set down and began talking to Ben in dialect too rapid to understand or identify. "That's ok!" Charlie said loudly. "I'm sure we'll figure out who you are in time, don't you worry your pretty head over intros, Hal."

"Oh, hush up," Hali said. However, she was still wreathed in smiles and had one paw firmly clasped around Ben's waist, the other thrown over Todd's shoulder, Todd – apparently – having been forgiven for some unknown crime. She continued, "Todd's mother was an old friend to _my_ mother; they went to school together. When my mum died when I was seven seasons and Denis was six, my father brought Deema, her husband John, and Todd over to the palace so Deema could nanny and school us. We hadn't known they hadn't just taken Ben in as well, so it was a bit of a surprise. Two hits in one blow!" She directed to last comment to the two creatures she was holding on to like death, shoving them both away playfully. Ben shoved her back, saying, "Oh, there's gratitude for you… do you know how this heartless beast greeted us?"

Matt, of course, was still having a hard time keeping up with the newly-introduced dueo and hadn't the foggiest idea as to what Hali might have concidered acceptable hospitality when first meeting them. Ben was not one with great patience, though, and continued anyways. "She tried to _shoot_ us, that's what she did! Deema, bless her heart, told us to go out and play, it was alright, she was just getting settled in, it would be ok, try and find the princess, if you can, she's gone missing again…hah! We found Denis alright enough; he had the flu and was in the palace library. He told us where Hali had gone off to. Y'know, I new from the first moment I met that cheeky little whelp that he was trouble! He sent us right into a trap, the maggot. Should have suspected that…_smirk_ he was giving us when he told us where Hal was… bless his memory, though...

"Anyways…where was I? Ah, yes, Hali tried to _impale_ us with the bow of hers! We hadn't been walking in those woods for no more than five minutes when an arrow came out of nowhere!" Hali snorted, frowning at the pair once again.

"You lot were making enough racket to wake the dead. I'd been following you ever since you had left the palace." This was new news to Ben; he looked at Hali incrediously before going on with his monolouge.

"She popped out of a tree somewhere and came up to us, and, do you know what she said? 'You almost got in the way of my arrow, you twats,' that's what she said. Todd and I must have said something after that to offend her after that, (though I can't _imagine_ _us_ doing something like that,) because we near about scared Deema to death when we came back sporting black eyes and bloody noses…" Hali inturrupted his grand finish.

"They called me a 'girl'," she sniffed, obviously still offended at even the memory. "in a _bad_ way." Todd smirked again, turning to hid it from Hali's veiw.

"Ah yes," he said, "I remember now: I do believe I commented on your bad aim later on, though, when I knew you were overhearing us…got a rather bad affect from it…" Charlie thought the whole thing to be hillarious and fell about laughing. Lucy had retaken her seat and was processing the information in stolic silence. Matt, however, glad to a last be following what anybeast was saying, asked Hali, "You said 'as well'…" Todd answered for her.

"I'm adopted. Deema and Johnny were foster parents at first, but they eventually just ended up adopting. I was the youngest at the time; there were six others ahead of me, but they were all grown, some of them gone." Charlie whistled admiringly.

"I can't imagine that," he said. "Well, I lied – yes I can. My parents had…I think 14 was the last head count I got, but I was the oldest, the next one down six seasons below me, so I only got the light fore-blow of it all."

Todd and Ben looked horrified, but Matt and Lucy were chuckling. "I can't imagine 13 more of you around the house," the mousemaid said, her tone only partially implying it as a joke.

"From what I've heard," Todd said, "Charlie's about as bad as Hali! The both of them, dragging themselves all across the globe doing seasons know what…" Lucy shuddered.

"I've known Charlie for more seasons than I care to recolect," she said. "Even when he was working in the Foreign's department, we'd hear about him all the way on our floor: gone off toPortugal after some suspect, Australia to look in on a tip, Andorra to get themselves permanently expelled – "

"Hey, you _know_ that wasn't my stinkin' fault!"

" – Hali wasn't even working with the SIS, but Charlie had known her long before and trusted her enough to take her along. Apparently, they had been travling beforehand just for the joy of it all out of Hali's allowence; pretty substantial allowence, I might add."

Hali sniffed airily. "If I was to be kept from my own home, I was going to enjoy myself." Ben looked around, his sable eyes lingering humorously around the various oddities of Hali's collectables.

"I see you've done so," he said strainedly, laughter not far from emerging.

"Yes…" Todd agreed, looking at her oddly. Suddenly realizing something, he tapped the side of her nose where the silver stud was imbedded in its piercing. "When did this happen?"

"Spain," she said nonchalantly, giving a vindictivly satisfied smirk. Both Todd and Ben had a hard time keeping from smiling. Hali tugged at the otter's ear, which supported its own small, golden ring.

"You have no room to make sport, Mr. Smarty-pants," she said, sticking her tounge out at him childishly. He stuck out his tounge as well. Todd poked them both in the stomachs to make them stop and said, "I see we've inturrupted something…" he nodded his head at the paper covering the floor. Hali nodded and bit her lip.

"This could change things..." she muttered, more to herself than anybeast else. "For the better, maybe, but it didn't...of course, that never _means_ it couldn't..."

"Did she do this at home as well?" Charlie whispered loudly to Ben. The otter nodded grimly.

"Denis was the only creature who could understand her," he said. "But just wait; pretty soon you'll get to the stage where you can pick out small bits..."

"Oh, you shoosh," she told the otter, bustling over to her papers and sorting through the. She said distractedly, "Charlie, could you take them to the library?"

"My pleasure," he said, bowing and leading them down the hallway Hali had concidered escaping down some time ago. "I shall show you the way and lead you right, my good comrads..."

"In that case," Lucy interjected, walking ahead of Matt to follow Charlie closely, "I'll come along;I want to see _that_."

Ben, Todd, and Matt sniggered under their breath as they asended the staircase that was at the end of thesmall corridor and turned out of sight to the upper level, which hosted another short hall sporting two doors on the left, another on the right, and one at the very end. Charlie was headed towards the last one, still bickering with Lucy good-naturedly. there was a short pause as they waited for the mouse to open the "retarded door" and the "freaking key" was nowhere to be found. However, with the help of a hairpin from Lucy, Charlie soon unlocked the imposing problem and swung it open. Todd and Ben bounded in, thumping him on the back and soundly congratulating him on his triumph over the piece of wood. He grumped to Matt, "I can see why Hali has such a grudge against those two…"

Matt stared around the room in revered awe. The wallspace that was not lined with high, walnut bookshelves was a deep red that greatly complimented the plush cherry-wood suede-covered armchairs that were placed sporadically around the room, gracing macthing ottomans and deep, almost black cherry side-tables. The back wall boasted a mahogany matalpiece over a tall-standing fireplace, stationed in front of which and off to the left sat a black, baby-grand piano and a violin on standing holder. There were as many books in the room as in any public library Matt had ever been into. He felt a thrill of exciment run through him; such boundless knowledge at his very fingertips!

"Psh! Just like Hali…" Ben said. "Always has to out-do herself." His mutterings, however, did not stop him from scurrying over to the piano and sitting – almost worshipfully – on the padded bench and plink out a few chords of Motzart. Charlie had walked in and had lowered himself partially into a chair before leaping up with a yelp. He glanced down at the seat and said very apologetically, "I'm terribly sorry, Howard. I didn't see you there."

Howard, as it turned out, was a shiny red lady-bug. As he looked up at them regally from his chair, (into which Charlie had almost squashed him,) Matt couldn't help but think the insect looked farther from a 'Howard' than anything he had ever seen. Perhaps a 'Nelly' or a 'Terfil', but 'Howard'? Unmoved by his name, however, Howard nestled back into the deep folds of the maroon suede. Charlie patted him fondly on the head and ambled off to find a different seat as Hali walked briskly in, shutting the door behind her with a footpaw. Walking over to another seat, she politly said, "I'm sorry, Gregory, but you are going to have to move."

Gregory, a small orange newt, slowly climbed onto the arm of his chair and then lept onto the back, surveying Matt with the same air of superiority as Howard had regarded him, making the mouse feel ridiculously insignificant. Hali didn't seem to take note of the oddities of her pets; she dumped her armload into the newly-vacated seat and, for the benefit of the newly-joined numbers of their party, launched into an account of the past 24 hours.

It was then that Matt thought about the position _he_ faced in the affair. It was all a very confusing web and far more than the last thing on earth he would have expected to happen to him. He had been taking it with as much of a smile as he could muster, but for some reason, hearing Hali explain it all over again for the benefit of Todd and Ben, he felt the pit of his stomach sinking lower and lower. His beautiful schedual, his woderful routine…such luxuries he had never stopped to be grateful for, and now he felt as though he would never see them again. Within the span of a day, his simple life had been ripped to absolute shreds. Never before had the unknown seemed so daunting.

Hearing his name spoken jerked Matt out of his private remorsings. Todd was pacing the length of the room. "So," he said slowly, coming to a stop as Hali did, leaning against a ladder that was propped up against a shelf of books and maps. "What do you want _us_ to do?" Hali smiled sweetly enough at him, but her eyes betrayed a vindictive and mischievious glint.

"Why, isn't that obvious, oh Captain of the Guard?" she practically sang. "If you are to 'protect' me, that would mean you will be joining us on one trip to Redwall…"

Todd wrinkled his nose at her unhappily and collapsed in Ben's chair, the otter having bounded up joyfully. "Sweet! Talk about timing, too. I almost didn't come with Todd; can you imagine if I hadn't? An opportunity to go to _The_ Redwall! You've got to admit, that's pretty cool." Matt was beginning to see a pattern in the personality traits of the creatures Hali associated herself with.

Lucy, whohad coaxed Howard to sit on her lap and had taken his chair,spoke up, "We need to know if you are willing to help us. Heavens know we are going to need it."

Ben immeadiatly assured him his loyalty is to that of his friends. Todd looked reluctant, but after Ben's comment, he glanced over at Hali before nodding. The vixen turned to Matt and asked, "When do we leave?"

The mouse stroked Gregory's head absently, surprised atnot realizing the newt had left his post and jumped into his lap. "Immeadiatly."

* * *

A/N: No reviews for the last update? Bah! You don't deserve this chapter. It is only out of sheer bordom and my want to write that you have been allowed such privileges.

And, for those who were wondering, I've based the character of Hali loosley upon the origional. Yes, that's right: I have actually met an African princess with a nose ring. Neat, huh? However, such things as her past history are made up by yours truly. Howard isn't mine either; Howard is actually the name of the gnome that lives under my bed. (He asked me very politly if I would mention this to you. He sends his love to my reviewers, but it is wasted, as I appear to have none. Bleh.) Gregory I have not had the pleasure of meeting; Howard tells me marvolous tales of him, though, and he sounds like a very plesant newt, and I have high hopes of having the honor of introduction some day.


	5. The NotSoGrand Arrival

Matt fidgeted in the barkcloth tunic he wore. It was not particularly itchy; it simply felt so unbefitting upon him, especially when Hali had him strap on a leather belt suited with a dagger, pouch of stones, and sling. It didn't even help when Lucy smiled prettily up at him, magnificent eyes dancing, and told him he looked rather dashing.

Todd, Ben, and Hali took the weight of the weapons as a second skin, the gravity of it not affecting their high spirits. Then again, Matt had to remind himself: Hali had lived all her young and pre-teen life in rugged, African country, Ben and Todd entering the same lifestyle before their childhood was up. This probably was their _origional_ skin.

Lucy had refused any weapons to be placed upon her, (Todd convinced Hali this might be for the better; Redwall might not take to each of their party being armed to the teeth.) and she took to the simple homespun frock she was given well enough; Charlie's biggest imposing problem was deciding which angle his own dagger looked best against his forest green tunic.

"Ach, what's got ye doon, lad?"

Matt jumped in surprise and glanced at the small red-squirrel that had – once again – snuck up silently behind him and was now standing next to him by the for'ard end of the long boat. The mouse allowed his gaze to wander back to the vast sea that stretched before him. "Nothing, I suppose," he said after a while, slouching down to rest his chin on his paws forlornly against the starboard side. He scratched Gregory's head absently. "Don't mind me, Deema. Just trying to decide how hard of rain I want to bring on…"

Deema threw her head back and laughed, causing Matt's own laugh to begin to bubble up inside of him. He loved her laugh.

Meeting Johnny and Deem for the first time would have normally been a quite remarkable thing in Matt's life, but the recent events that had tipped said life upside down so uncerimoniously rendered the visitantion as little more than another step in a very long day. Still, they cut an interesting impression on their own; pairing them up was an odd thought that…well, simply worked. Deema was a sprightly little thing, (and when Matt ment "little", he ment _little_,) her brown fur, set off with red undertones, accented her clear green eyes. She was very pretty, save for the curving scar on the right side of her face that ran from her temple and almost met with the corner of her mouth. The petite squirrel's husband, on the other hand, had had great difficulty walking through doors since the age of 15. His wide girth only added to his ceiling-brushing enormity. His wife, though hardly stretching a head past his ample waiste, was the only beast – save Hali – who could repremand him into shame and guilt. (Deema and Hali did not cheat themselves out of this gift.) They were both cheery creatures and acted with only the slightest of aprehension on the side, though that did not stop them for a moment in accepting Hali's call for assitence in the traveling to Redwall. Deema was always waiting patiently with a smile or the silvery laugh Matt loved so much. Johnny did his own bit of laughing and joining in on the fun, but was the more cautious of the pair; Hali would tease him about being over-protective until he blushed. Matt had grown instantly close to both of the squirrels.

"Ach, cheer oop!" Deema said, punching Matt on his right shoulder. She shivered and pulled her tan coloured tunic closer around her as a sharp gust of wind blew in. "We cannae be far from yon island. Johnny!" she turned her head to the side, her voice almost swept clean away by the wind. "How much longer de ye think, love!"

Johnny grunted and pushed the tiller to the right, setting straight the small turn the sharp wind had pushed them into. His strong, deep American voice shattered through the gale. "Can't be more than an hour from shore! We should land around the ruins of Marshank!" Hali and Ben whooped from where they sat at the top of the mast. They swung down, pulling the sail ropes taut against the straining bluster.

"Not out of the woods yet," Johnny muttered, peering up at the sky. "It's a good thing we're close; big storm's coming on." Todd, his palor already pale and drawn, gave an unhappy grunt. He sat in the middle of the boat, turning his eyes from the deck, to the open waters, and closing them periodically. It seemed no matter where he turned, the upheavals followed. Lucy sat next to him, trying to comfort him as best she could. Charlie was helping nobeast by flouncing about as though on solid ground. Even Matt with his strong stomach felt his innards lurch each time the boat dropped as Charlie stepped. Todd opened his eyes long enough to glare at the impudent mouse and let his paw stray towards the yew bow and quiver of arrows that lay under his seat. Charlie stopped immediately.

"Ahh, Todd has never been much of a sea-faring beast," Hali teased, grinning maliciously. "More like sea-_fear_ing…" Todd stiffened, eyes shifting from the waves, tops beginning to splash over the side, to Hali.

"I'm not…afraid," he gave another small dry heave, closing his eyes again, as though not being able to witness his death would make it less painful. "Just don't like it."

"Ach, don' ye be leavin' yer brekkist fer us," Deema said as she sauntered by to aid Johnny with the tiller, jovially giving Todd a thump on the shoulders. Todd, just at the mention of anything entering his churning stomach, gave another sickened grunt. Hali gave him a strange look, caught between the start of pity and becoming sick herself.

"Don't sit there and think about it," she called from up in the rigging, where she was pulling in the sails upon order from Johnny. "Come up here and take your mind off of it, help me with these sails…" Todd looked extremely aprehensive, but coaxing from Lucy had him up there eventually. Howard and Gregory scurried underneath it as another surge of wind blustered by.

The wind had increased at a startling rate. It was now tossing the boat around like some small toy for the waves. Both Johnny and Deema had their backs thrown into the tiller, struggling to keep the vessel on course. Charlie and Lucy were bailing furiously to rid the boat of the water that had begun to rise around their footpaws. Matt stopped in his aid to them and peered in the direction they were going. His strained his eyes, the darkening sky making it difficult to determine whether or not it was –

"Ben!" Matt shouted to be heard over the raging winds. "What do you reckon that is?"

The otter lept from the mast and landed with a small splash next to Matt, peering in the directiong Matt was pointing. "Haha! That would be land, my good friend!" he said. A large raindrop splattered across his muzzle. He swiped it away and called out, "And none too soon. West and fourteen degrees north, Johnny!"

More rain was blown into the small group as Johnny lashed the tiller on its course. The giant of a squirrel reached up and grabbed Todd and Hali by the footpaws, pulling them both down to the deck. "Stay down!" he shouted, the wind increasing its already impossible fury, now thickly spackled with rain. "Nobeast is getting blown off my boat!" From their position on the deck, the fox and vixen completed their task of tying down the sails with Johnny's help. The rudder, the intense strain the waves were putting it up against amounting to too much, folded up against the long boat, snapping the tiller free from its restraining bond. Deema was nearly knocked overboard as it came sweeping towards her; Ben and Charlie lept to her aid to regain control.

Matt stood stock still, staring at his surroundings with glazed eyes, not taking any of it in. Lucy grabbed on to his arm and handed him a bucket with which to bail out the rising water. Her mimicked her motions numbly, fumbling about in the cold water. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky followed closely by a sharp clap of thunder. Matt stood and watched as the cliffs on the shore were silhouetted in another bright flash. Somebeast called out his name; he turned just in time to a spar swing at him, knocking him squarley in the midriff and send him tumbling over the edge of the boat.

Water filled his mouth and nose when he tried to replace the breath that had been knocked from him. Upon instinct, he tried to cough and gag it out, only allowing more to rush in.

Cold. Dark. The water tossing him about. Then, a pair of arms grabbing him about the waist, and all went black.

Matt groaned miserably and brought his paws to his throbbing head. He tried to call out for somebeast, but his mouth and throat were parched and shrivled from the salty water. Slowly, he pulled his paws away and, at an even slower pace, opened his eyes. Hali was leaning over him and grinning broadly.

"Hello, Sleepy-head," she said jovially, turning and opening one of their water-pouches. With her help and several spills, Matt swallowed enough to regain voice to croak, "What happened?"

Lucy popped up on the other side of him and told him to shush. She dabbed his brow with a cloth dipped in something that made a cut on Matt's forehead sting and burn. "Are you going to make a habit out of this, Mr. Woods?" she berated him with an airy smile. "Because if you are, I am going to need to stock up on medical suplies before we go any farther on this journey. You took quite a good hit with a piece of driftwood, but it was most likely the whole tide that you swallowed that caused you to pass out."

"How long have I been asleep?" he said with difficulty. Hali pulled away the canteen and looked at him with grave sincerity as she said, "We were really beginning to worry; it's been nearly two days!"

Matt's eyes shot open and he sat up sharply. "What!" Lucy sighed as Hali fell back on the sand, laughing hysterically.

"Would you please cut that out!" she snapped at the vixen, who laughed all the harder. Matt picked up a pinecone and sullenly lobbed it at her, smiling vindictivly as it connected with her head with a _thwock! _Rubbing his own head, he took account of his surroundings. They were in a small cove, the beach a stone's throw away. Their long boat sat just ouside. The sky had cleared and the moon cast a greenish-yellow glow as a light rain fell. Charlie lay among the packs on the right side of the cave, snoring uproariously. Howard laying on his stomach and rising and falling with each breath. Lucy rolled her eyes at him.

"You would have thought _he_ was the one knocked into the sea…" she muttered, but she was once again smiling for some reason unknown to Matt.

"Where are we?" Matt asked Hali, watching her toss the pinecone he had chucked at her from paw to paw. She shrugged.

"We are not really sure. The others are out searching right now. I would be with them had I not kicked that stupid piece of driftwood when I jumped in after you." She indicated her right footpaw, which was wrapped in a linen bandage. "Just bruised and a few, er, splinters, --"

"'Splinters' the size of my finger," Lucy interjected.

" – but I should be alright for when we travle tomorrow." It was a few moments before Matt realized he was gaping at her.

"That was you?" he exclaimed softly. He must have been looking at her incrediously, for she shrugged and raised an eyebrow.

"Just here to help," she said carlessly as she lobbed the pinecone at Charlie, who gave a startled grunt as he was brought sharply back into consciousness. Lucy and Matt sniggered under their breath, further confusing Charlie as he picked up the offending item. He was in the process of pulling back his arm to return it when Ben and Johnny came barrelling into the small cave, shaking rainwater from their fur. Hali squinted her eyes against the droplets as they came at her, asking the pair, "Did you find anything?"

Ben blew droplets from his whiskers before replying, "No, and I suppose that's a good thing; we've landed somewhere along the North Cliffs, and, if Matt's right, that means the pygmy shrews' encampment is somewhere above us."

"No use parleying with them," Matt commented wryly. Johnny grinned and agreed, "We'll move out first thing in the morning; best get some sleep before then. I vote Hali takes first watch." Ben concured and they both flopped down at the back of the cove against the rock wall. Before Hali could work up an argument, the remaining two of their party joined them.

"Och, ah dinnae think coomin along woulda gotten meh this wet!" Deema sighed loudly, rubbing herself vigorously. "Ah do nae know whether ah'll ever be dry'n'warm agin!" Sympathizing very little with the squirrel as she told Ben to "scudge oop", Hali asked – very impatienly, "Anything to report?"

Todd accepted a blanket from Charlie and used a corner of it to vigorously rub his ears and head dry, headfur sticking up at odd angles as a result. He answered, "Marshank lies not half a leuge south; Johnny's calculations weren't much thrown off in the storm. We should be able to reach it without much trouble. I think a fire would be alright as well."

Deema gave a feeble cheer and set a pile of driftwood that had been drying and lying in wait at the back of the cave in the center of the small clearing. Using the piece of flint in his belt pouch and striking it against his knife blade, Johnny set the tinder aflame. A small fire was crackling merrily a short while later. "Guid call on that rain, Matt!" Deema teased, eyes dancing as brilliantly as the flames.

"Oh, hush up," the mouse grumbled, rubbing the bunp on his head remosfully. That had been the second time the situation had gotten the better of him. Cursing himself silently under his breath, he vowed never again to be caught in such a way.

Todd had shooed Gregory away from one of the packs he was poking his nose into. "Not much was lost, then?" he asked. Hali shook her head. "All in all, we were rather fortunate. Care to whip us up a hot dinner, Johnny?"

The squirrel laughed and obliged immeadiatly. He pulled one of the food packs towards him and commenced chopping up vegetables and setting them to simmer in a pot over the fire with a pawful of dried shrimp, making use of a sodden loaf of bread and using it to thicken the broth. While he was doing this, Hali had snatched up her own pack. Matt watched as she untied a bundle from it. Uncovering revealed it to be the violin that had sat on the stand in her library. She carfully inspected it for water damage, scratches, dents, and bumps. Satisfied, she plucked its strings, tuning them skillfully. Charlie looked up at the noise and shook his head.

"You can't go _anywhere_ without that thing, can you?" he said. Hali shook her head and held her ear closer to the string as it vibrated, twisting the peg at its scroll and lowering the pitch. Ben had no objections to Hali's relationship with her instrument.

"Care to play us something?" he asked hopefully. Hali bit her lip.

"I don't know if I dare," she said slowly. "I don't know how sound travlels out here…"

"You should be alright," Todd said, laying down against the far wall of the cove. "We couldn't hear you until was were nearly on top of you. If it was Johnny singing, though, that would be a different matter…ouch!" Johnny indignantly threw the wooden bowl he was about to fill with the prepared stew at the impudent fox. Deema gave a hearty laugh; Matt followed suit and accepted the bowl she held out for him.

Matt's first experience of Johnny's miraculous cooking abilities was not short from blissful. He turned something as simple as vegetable soup into one of the most fabulous things he had ever tasted. Hali graced them as they ate by striking up a lively little melody that she was encored to play again, which she did happily along with a few others until she pleaded starvation. Playful banter and happy conversations were exchanged as they all comsumed Johnny's impromptu – but none the less fantastic – meal. Todd had fallen asleep against the far side of the cove and, as she asked Ben about her home and how everybeast there was, Hali snuck over and worked his still-damp hair into even odder angles, the end result looking comically like a mohawk. Charlie and Deema both had great difficulty in holding in their laughter. Johnny soon followed his suit, though, snoring softly. As to not wake them, Hali and Ben sat with their backs aginst the back wall, talking softly.

Matt sat with his back against a large rock, facing the sleeping forms across the fire of Todd, Lucy and Charlie; Hali and Ben, fighting sleep off as they whispered to each other, were stretched out at the very back, Johnny in the corner to the right of them and the left of Matt. Deema walked over and plopped herself in the sand next to the sleepy mouse. A thought that had been poking at him surfaced.

"Why is Hali so much more open with Ben than Todd?" he asked the red squirrel. "She seems to be holding a grudge of some sort against him…" Deema smiled listlessly.

"Ach, weel," she said, stretching her paws above her head tiredly. "Todd jus' crossed her path too manee-a time. Despite what ye see, Hali is a bonny wee friend teh both o' meh boys. Todd got her guid an' mad afore she left us fer Spain, though; adden on teh the several times he'd tell meh what sort-a trouble she'n'Ben'd get inta when I'd worm it outta 'im, Hali worked herself into a guid dislike agin him. Todd is still true teh her 'till the end, though, as all frien's are." She sighed and stood, telling Matt to get some sleep, she would take the first watch.

He lay down, all too grateful to follow her orders. As he looked around the cave before sleep overcame him, he suddenly felt extremely content. He knew in an instant that this was what Redwall Abbey was about: friends sharing good times with friends, enjoying life, the true happiness one never sees anymore. Words couldn't describe the joyful peace he felt inside him; these were the things one never felt when reading the history from the books your grandfather read to you as you sat on his knee as a wide-eyed, captivated child. Hate for any creature who would dare to oppose such a happy feeling and life as Matt was experiencing now bubbled up inside of him. Knowing what side he stood for and what he must do in the short days to come allowed him to rest easy and forget all his troubles until Hali would wake him at dawn. Come what may.

* * *

A/N: Wasn't that lovely? Hopefully, questions were answered, loose ends were tied up, and you truly enjoyed it. (Tell me in a review!)

When writing this, I felt it would be very important at this point for Matt to accept the responsibility he has upon him and come to terms with it. If I didn't express it well, let me know in a review and I will pretend this chapter is fabulous anyways and fix it later.


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